I want people to know that committing to cycling has changed my life. Setting goals and ambitions makes me more accountable, the health benefits are obvious, and I absolutely and completely enjoy it which leads to a happier existence. It’s a way to challenge myself, set goals, and strive to improve. Almost as if cycling is a state of mind that helps me heal.
Commitment gives me purpose. Without it, I would never start. We all have big dreams, big goals, and thoughts about how our lives should be, or what our lives should look like. Many of us have trouble reaching the potential we set for ourselves. Time flies by, and then we look back and wonder what went wrong. One reason I can think of that stands out is that we never really get started doing the things we want to do. Either we are to busy, or we are worried that we will fail, or maybe even that we will be judged.
Without making a decision and following it up with action, we could spend our entire lives stuck in the exact same place. You've probably heard the quote, "Rome wasn't built in a day". And it's true! Things take time to build. This includes our own self.
I was miserable. My goal was to prove that I wasn't disabled. I would either sit in a closet where I didn't have to interact with people or I would hide behind false walls. Before my accident I was never scared to do hard things, I was never scared to lay it all out and see where it went. One example that comes to mind is I quit my job and started a business with no money in the bank, my wife and I had just bought a new house a few months prior. I borrowed a van from a friend and set out knocking on business doors to see if I could contract work their service/repairs. Fortunately within a couple weeks I had more work than I could handle. Because I committed to the dream and I was patient I was successful. After my accident, I lost all confidence and desire to set goals and make dreams come true. Rather I wasn't willing to let go of the past.
Years passed by before I got a kick in the pants and decided to make a change. Years passed by before I decided enough was enough. It was time to ultimately change my entire way of attempting to fill the void of not being me. But unfortunately, I didn’t really know the one thing I needed to do in order to be more fulfilled. I knew what I didn’t want to do (hello old habits), but I also didn’t know what I wanted to do!
You can put the pieces together, but I took a leap and decided to try ride a bike. Fear and all. I was scared. Scared of failure. But like when I started that business many years ago my mind unconciously made a commitment, was somewhat patient with the process, and trusted the outcome. And all it took was believing in the goal. Funny how life works. Self-doubt and fear are what I was taught while I was attempting to recover from my spinal cord injury....these were the two biggest barriers in my quest to self discovery. And I guess a third, and less thought about one, would be pure overwhelm; seeing where I am and looking to where I want to go leaves me purely exasperated.
This is where movement comes into play. If we take steps, however small they may feel, toward our dreams and goals, we make sure we're moving forward. And here’s the cool thing: The force that you apply can be extremely small and still produce positive results.
What does this mean? If we’re scared to make a move because we’re overwhelmed by the end result of where we think we need to go, it’s really important to realize one big thing: your collection of small steps equals big results. I don't know anyone who has taken a leap of faith and accomplished life’s biggest goals in the same breath.
Life rewards those who take consistent, measurable action, while enjoying a dose of patience and commitment.
A few things thatr are happening in our favor.Namely, the universe is here to aid us in our dreams and desires if we let it. It just requires a few things:
A decision made internally to change!
A desire to take the required steps!
A realization that small movements forward are perfectly normal!
Actually making the moves!
A lot (and a little) patience and commitment!
Then, the laws of motion will help you take care of the rest because you’ll have built movement and momentum.
You aren’t stuck in life.
You are capable of making a lot of powerful moves.
The key is just getting started.
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